A Ball To Remember
by Fire The Canon
Summary: What if Ron had taken Hermione to the Yule Ball? What if Harry had taken Ginny? One Shot. Mostly Ron/Hermione, with a little Harry/Ginny. Please R&R.


_**Note: This is the first piece of fanfiction I have written in about three years and my first ever Harry Potter fic. It's just something I put together in about an hour and a half, as it came to my mind. It was originally meant to be Ron/Hermione AND Harry/Ginny, but all my effort went into Ron and Hermione *cough*. I hope you enjoy it and comments are very much appreciated.**_

_**I do not own any Harry Potter characters. **_

Harry turned to Ron, taking in his pale face. His eyes were scanning the Great Hall as he watched couple after couple enter. He could guess what Ron was thinking. Would Hermione show up? He had the same feelings about Ginny. What if she had had second thoughts? What if she and Hermione were sitting in the common room, regretting their decisions to come to the Yule Ball with them?

"They will be here," he assured Ron, as much as himself.

No sooner had he said the words, then a head full of red hair appeared in the doorway, accompanied by an almost unrecognisable other.

Harry looked at Ron again, who was now staring open mouthed at Hermione's transformation. He swallowed and then went to greet her, looking rather nervous for someone who claimed he had only asked Hermione as a last resort.

Following, Harry met Ginny, who smiled at him.

"So...um...er...drink?" Ron managed to say, still clearly shocked by Hermione.

Hermione and Ginny nodded and went to sit down together, while Harry and Ron went to get some Butterbeers.

"Blimey, Harry, did you see her?" Ron said. Harry was glad Hermione wasn't around to hear the genuine surprise in his voice. "I wasn't expecting..." he struggled to find the right words and ended with "...that!"

Harry didn't answer. It was true that Hermione had looked beautiful (he suspected that was what Ron had been trying to say), but his mind couldn't get rid of the image of Ginny. _She_ had also looked beautiful.

They returned to where Ginny and Hermione sat a decorated table. Magic was a wonderful thing! With a shaking hand, Ron handed Hermione a Butterbeer. Harry, who had a little more dignity in these situations, managed to keep his cool.

"What did I do to him?" Ron questioned, looking to his left.

Harry followed Ron's gaze. Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang Triwizard Champion was giving Ron a very dirty look, but as far as Harry knew, Ron had been too scared to even ask for his autograph.

"Oh, I don't think you did anything," Hermione answered. "You see, Viktor kind of asked me to go with him-"

Harry almost choked on his Butterbeer.

"-but I, um, turned him down, because, well, Ron had already asked me."

This time it was Ginny's turn to splutter. Harry gave her a quizzical look, but she shook her head.

Hermione had now turned slightly pink as she watched Krum stalk away, looking furious. Harry suspected he hadn't known _who_ Hermione had rejected him for.

"You said no to Krum because of _me_?" Ron's voice was quiet. It looked as if Hermione had hit in with a Stunning Spell.

"Well, yes," Hermione turned a darker shade of pink. "But, it was only because you asked me first," she added hastily, watching Ron's face twist with confusion.

"Yes, of course," Ron turned away from her and back to Krum, who had found some of his fellow Durmstrangs. Harry caught his look of delight has he did so. Apparently he was quite pleased to have beaten Krum to something.

"Well, we better make our way over to the middle for this...er...dance thing," Harry said, getting to his feet. "Coming, Ginny?"

Ginny nodded and smiled. As the left Ron and Hermione alone-Ron still looking thoroughly pleased with himself-Ginny giggled.

"He is _so_ into her," she said, grinning.

Harry returned the smile. "Do you think it's obvious to everyone but them?" he asked. "Ron says he only asked Hermione, because he felt sorry for her (and he had no one to go with himself), but I think he...I think it was what he wanted all along."

"And I know for a fact that Krum asked Hermione weeks before Ron did," Ginny added. "She told him she would have to think about it. Clearly, she was waiting for what she thought to be a better offer. Would have picked Krum, myself," she added teasingly.

Back at the table, where Ron and Hermione sat alone, they watched the four Triwizard Champions take to the floor with their partners. Soon, many more had joined them.

"Hermione," Ron began, "would you like to dance?"

"I'd be delighted!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping to her feet with so much enthusiasm, she knocked over a the chair she had just been sitting on.

Bewildered, Ron took her hand and led her to the dance floor. They were surrounded by many other people dancing. Looking over to where Harry and Ginny were, he rolled his eyes.

"I think Ginny still might have a thing for Harry," he told Hermione.

"I think Harry might have a thing for Ginny," Hermione replied.

"As if!" Ron said defensively. "You see, we were kind of both really desperate for-"he cut himself off, realising he probably had said the wrong thing.

But Hermione only smiled. "He looks like he is hating every minute of it," she said sarcastically , putting her hands on Ron's shoulders as they began to sway in time with the music.

Ron chanced another look at Harry and Ginny. Harry had a huge smile on his face, looking as happy to be with Ginny as Ron was to be with Hermione. _Not my sister_, he thought.

As the night went on, Ron and Hermione continued to dance; as did-to Ron's horror-Harry and Ginny.

"Why couldn't he have asked someone else?" he complained to Hermione as the broke apart after the song had just ended.

"Oh, Ron, give it a rest, will you. You weren't even worried until I said something. Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"He's my best friend, she's my sister."

"It's not like they're planning a wedding!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I'm sure Ginny is," Ron grumbled as a new song started.

Now more focused on what Harry was doing with Ginny, Ron didn't notice when Hermione moved her hands from his shoulders to around his neck. It wasn't until he turned back to face her, that he realised their faces were just inches from each other. Hermione was staring directly into his eyes...

His heart beating rapidly against his chest, Ron didn't know what to do. His first instinct was to back away, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Besides, this was what he wanted, wasn't it?

Ron didn't think it was possible for them to be any closer, but somehow, Hermione managed it. It was like she wanted to...kiss him.

"Are you thirsty?" he stupidly asked, pulling away at this realisation.

"No," Hermione said quietly, looking hurt. "I'll just...I'll just stay here." She turned away, trying to hide the tears which had formed in her eyes, but Ron had seen them.

Feeling very guilty and very confused, he walked slowly over to an empty seat and slumped down. How stupid was he? Hermione Granger; the girl he had liked for some time now had almost kissed him and he had pulled away. He was furious with himself, which quickly turned into anger at Krum. Seeing that Hermione had been abandoned, he had wasted no time into getting her to dance with him. She didn't look too pleased about it, but she didn't walk away either.

"Ditched you for Krum, did she?" Ginny asked, sitting in the seat beside him.

"It's what she wanted anyway," Ron mumbled, folding his arms and glaring at Krum.

"It wasn't, actually," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "Krum asked her weeks before you did, but she told him no. She wanted you to ask her."

Ron turned his gaze on Ginny. "But, she said-" it felt as if a large rock had just settled in his stomach.

"I heard what she said," Ginny interrupted. "It was common knowledge in the girl's bathrooms that Hermione Granger had rejected Viktor Krum. They all thought she was mad. I mean, they all would have given their gold away to get a chance to go to the Yule Ball with Bulgaria's Seeker. Yet, she said yes he moment you asked her. She always wanted to go with you, Ron. You did realise that, didn't you?"

Ron felt his face turn red as he thought back to only half an hour earlier. Hermione had had her arms around him, her lips only inches from his. In that moment, he realised he had just made the worst decision of his life. He wanted to kiss Hermione Granger more than he wanted to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He had wanted to for a very long time.

"Harry, you were right," Ginny said, leaning across Ron, to talk to Harry, who was sitting on his other side. "They seem to be the only two in the world who don't realise they actually like each other."

"I don't like her!" Ron said defensively. "I mean...even if I did, it looks like she is having too much fun with _Krum_," he said the Seeker's name with a loathing he had not felt a few hours ago.

Harry and Ginny looked in the direction of Hermione and Krum. She didn't seem to be enjoying herself at all. In fact, she kept looking over at Ron every two seconds, tears glistening her eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by Ginny.

"Blimey, Ron, what did you say to her? She looks really upset."

"I didn't say anything!" Ron defended himself. He then remembered what had actually happened and thought saying something would have been the kinder option. "But, I think she tried to kiss me and I-I backed away," he tried to ignore Ginny's questioning look. "I panicked, okay! I didn't see it coming."

Ginny stalked away after that, leaving Harry and Ron alone.

"You're not into my sister, are you?" he asked before Harry could continue the topic of Hermione.

"I...er...no," Harry answered, though Ron suspected he had only said that to not get him more worked up.

"Because if you are...that's-" he took in a deep breath, not believing what he was going to say next, "-that's okay, you know. If you do like her, that is."

"And I'm okay with my two best friends getting together," Harry replied. "Though, I'd be quick about it. It looks like Krum is getting her to smile now."

At these words, Ron jumped to his feet and marched over to where Hermione was dancing with Krum. He dragged her away from him and led her to an empty part of the Great Hall.

"Ron, what are you do-" she was cut off by Ron kissing her. He had taken her completely by surprise that when he pulled away, she had nothing to say.

"I don't care if he's the bloody Minister for Magic," Ron said. "You said you would go to the Ball with me. It should be me, who you dance with. Not Krum, not anyone. Just me."

Hermione stared up at him, her mouth moving silently as she searched for something to say. Eventually, she decided that kissing him again would be the best reply.

Gleeful at how the night had turned out, Ron floated through the crowd, causing some of the girls to move away in alarm. He had a huge smile on his face. He had kissed Hermione Granger. In that moment, nothing else mattered. He, Ron Weasley, had taken what Viktor Krum wanted. He had kissed Hermione. This was possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him.


End file.
